Selected quad for the lemma: prince_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
prince_n	great_a	king_n	noble_n	2,602	5	9.8143	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A91906	The royal nursing-father; discoursed in a sermon preach'd at the cathedral in Norwich, on the 29th of May [B]eing the day of his Majesties birth, and happy return to his kingdoms. By Charles Robotham, batchelour of divinity, in Norfolk.	Robotham, Charles, 1625 or 6-1700.	1680 (1680)	Wing R1729C; ESTC R229944	25,565	82

The Royal Nursing-Father Discoursed in a SERMON Preach'd at the Cathedral in NORWICH On the 29th of May. ●eing the Day of His Majesties Birth and Happy Return to His Kingdoms By Charles Robotham Batchelour of Divinity in Norfolk LONDON Printed for W. Oliver in Norwich M DC LXXX TO THE RIGHT WORSHIPFUL Sir Christopher Calthorpe Knight of the BATH Honoured and Right Worshipful IT will not I hope be thought strange but Duty if amongst the many that are cordially affected towards you I also bring my Mite into your Treasury unto which all that know you and can distinguish true worth and goodness from a seeming shew or a meer popular gloss cannot but pay the Tribute of their due respects As for this present address here made unto you your singular integrity and fidelity to the publick your true affection to solid and undissembled Piety your untainted Loyalty to the Prince your Love and Nobleness to the Church so well known and lastly your many favours and countenance not only to those of my Function in general but to my self in particular are all such as justly entitle you to the subject of this following Discourse you being that in your lesser Sphere which our Gracious Sovereign is in his higher and larger A true Nursing Father God of his goodness encrease the Gifts and Graces of your mind and the number of your Imitators May the Vertues of your Soul in despight of that Veil that would hide them prove more and more conspicuous like the Statues of those two Romans of old which the more they were concealed and covered from the publick sight were but the more taken notice of May the fatness of the Earth be your lot and may the Dews and Blessings of Heaven fall here and ever upon you and yours so as to redound to Gods Glory to the publick good and to your own inward comfort and eternal reward So prays your unfeigned Orator at the Throne of Grace and faithful Servant to his power Charles Robotham Isaiah xlix 23. And Kings shall be thy Nursing Fathers and their Queens thy Nursing Mothers They shall bow down to thee with their Faces towards the Earth and lick up the dust of thy feet THE current of Religion in the world seems much to resemble those Waters of Ezekiel that Ezek. 47. 3 4. rose first to the Ankles then to the Knees and Loins and so to an unpassable depth Such was the rise and progress of Religion in the World The beginnings of it were but small only in the Families of the Patriarchs the Channel of it for a long time scant and narrow only in the bounds and limits of the Land of Canaan In Jury only was God known and his Name great in Israel But at the length it overflowed the Banks and according to the prediction Isa 11 9. The whole Earth was filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the Waters cover the Sea But this it was a work especially reserved for the days and coming of the Messia and is commonly joyned with the mention and promise of the Messia Thus in Gen. 22. 18. In thy Seed shall all the Nations of the Earth be blessed Thus in Gen. 49. 10. Till Shilo come And to him shall the gathering of the people be And the very same thing we meet with at large in this very Chapter of Isaiah beginning at the 6th Verse I will give thee for a Light to the Gentiles that thou may'st be my Salvation to the ends of the earth In pursuance of which subject he goes on to set forth the care of God not only for the perpetuating of the Church Verse the 16th I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands thy walls are continually before me but also for the replenishing and inlarging the Church and that to such a flow of fulness that they shall complain as in the 20th Verse The place is too strait for me give me room that I may dwell Augustus est mihi locus in Synagogis fac mihi spatium in Ecclesiis as St. Hierom glosses upon the place Now if any shall ask with the Church in the 21st Verse who hath begotten me these who hath brought up these As much as to say By what means shall there come in such a throng and multitude of Proselytes to fill the Church The Answer follows in the next words That it should be by a double means first by the power and preaching of the Gospel Verse 22. I will lift up my hand unto the Gentiles and set my Standard to the People i. e. Vexillam crucis says St. Hierom The Word and Standard of the Cross and Gospel of Christ And then secondly It should be done by the after-assistance of Kings and Princes that should embrace and profess the Gospel as it follows in the Text Verse 23. And Kings shall be thy Nursing Fathers and their Queens thy Nursing Mothers they shall bow down to thee c. The words then are a signal Prophesie touching the inlargement of the Church as by the accession of the Gentiles in the general so of the Secular Powers and Governours in particular In the words I shall consider two main remarkables First the Persons here instanced in Kings and Queens Secondly the things spoken of these Persons i. e. Their Conversion their Devotion their furtherance and assistance First then let us consider Eminentiam Instantiae the Persons here instanced in we shall find them to be none of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the lower and middle rank but of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Persons of the greatest heighth and eminency and that in each of the Sexes Kings for the one and Queens for the other He could not have gone higher if he would here amongst Men. And truly Kings and Princes must needs be the highest upon Earth because they are immediately next unto him who is the most highest both in Heaven and Earth that is to God himself For this was the Divinity of the ancient Fathers Tertul C. 2. A quo secundi post quem primi ante omnes super omnes Deos. Tert. Apol. c. 30. Lib. 3. adversus Parmen ad Scap. Colimus Imperatorem ut hominem a Deo secundum Et solo Deo minorem i. e. We reverence the Emperour as a Man second to God and inferior to none but God So that of Optatus Super Imperatorem non est nisi solus Deus qui fecit Imperatorem There is none above the Emperour saving God who made the Emperour And so also that of Arnobius Rex sub nullo alio nisi sub Deo The King is under none In Psalmos but God and if only under him then doubtless the highest next and immediate to him yea so near unto God that they partake of the very name * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Justin M. quaest resp ad Orthod Qu. 142. of God Psal 82. 6. I said ye are Gods Gods for their place and Office as being in

of Abraham by communion of the same Faith These Promises or Prophecies 't is clear they belonged to the times of the Gospel And though they were not presently fulfilled at the first planting of the Gospel because God was resolved to bring in and carry on the Religion of Christ at first in the world not by the countenance of the Grandees and Princes of this world but only by the sufferings of Martyrs by Signs and Miracles by the sole and single force and efficacy of the Word Preached that so the Doctrine might appear to be of God and not of Man yet notwithstanding after some few Centuries of years in due time those Oracles began to be fulfilled first in the Conversion of Lucius a Brittish King of this Isle and then of Constantine and Theodosius and so all along of many other Princes as it is at this day So that the Religion of Christ which at first began at the lower end and dwelt in Cottages is now got into the Palaces of Nobles yea and into the Courts of Kings and Princes and I doubt not of some of them into their Hearts too Christ who is Lord over all Rom. 10. 12. hath shewn himself rich unto all even unto Kings rich in Grace by calling them out of darkness into his marvellous light hereby testifying both the freeness of his Grace that he is the God of the Hills as well as of the Vallies and likewise the Power of his Grace that he has a Throne in Hearts of Kings and can conquer Crowns and Scepters to a willing professing of him And that the Net of the Gospel spoken of Mat. 23. 47. is large and strong enough to catch and take the great Whales and Leviathans of the Water as well as the smaller Fishes Lastly hereby he has testified his honourable regard and respect unto the Robes of Earthly Majesty to the Thrones of Kings by baptizing them into the Faith of Christ thereby shewing them the way unto a better Kingdom that of Heaven and to a brighter Crown that of Righteousness And that 's the first thing here intimated touching Kings and Princes their Call and Conversion The next follows and that is their Piety and Devotion For this I take to be the meaning of those words They shall bow down to thee with their face to the Earth and lick up the dust of thy feet 'T is an allusion to that gesture of lowly Reverence and Incurvation of Body to the Ground that was in use both in Religious and Civil Worship As ye may see both at once 1 Chron. 29. 20. All the So 1 Sam. 24. 20. Adoraverunt Jehovam Regen Pagn Congregation blessed the Lord and bowed down their Heads and worshiped the Lord and the King 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 lxx The like was practised by all your Eastern Nations to their Sovereigns as appears by that of Martial Pictorum sola basiate regum Epigr. L. 10. Ep. 72. As also by that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 without which Themistocles himself could not have access unto the Persian King though he disguised it as well as he might by the letting fall of his Ring But to return in allusion I say unto this custom of deep and low veneration is it here said even of Kings and Queens that they shall kiss or lick the dust that they shall bow down with their faces towards the Earth Yea but unto whom Answ To whom but Christ To him alone is all this reverence and obeysance of Kings and Queens directed and intended For though the Person here spoken to as the words sound seem to be the Church yet the Worship here spoken of is meant only Christ Christi proprius peculiaris says a See Psal 72. 9. Isa 49. 7. De Imperio summarum potestatum c. 4. Grotius Tibi incurvabunt id est Christo in te habitanti says Tremellivus They shall bow down to thee i. e. To Christ dwelling in thee Sic ad Ecclesiam transfertur hic honos ut penes unum Christum integer maneat says Calvin b Lingent pedunt pulverem tuorum O Ecclesia primitiva in personâ capitis tui Jesu Christi Glossa ordinaria in locum As much as to say The Church is here considered in conjunction with Christ the Head so that what is spoken of the Body strictly and properly pertains only to the Head Si enim Caput Ecclesiae est Christus Caput hic adoratur in corpore says St. Hierom upon the Place In the Honour of the Body is understood the Worship of the Head And to the like purpose yet more plainly is that of St. Basil upon Psal 45. Ver. 12. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 'T is not the Church to whom this Honour or Worship is given but unto Christ who is the Head of the Church In vain therefore do the Parasites of Rome go about to draw this Text to the maintenance or countenance either of the Papal Chair or of the a Vide Librum Caeremoniarum Sect. 3. C. 3. Honour and Subjection claimed as due thereunto For besides the falseness of the Hypothesis the thing it self is very wide from the purpose of the Text. The Honour here spoken of as to be done by Kings and Queens is not that of external Subjection whether Civil or Ecclesiastical but that of Religious Adoration 'T is no other than subjection unto Christ himself To the Person of Christ to the Laws of Christ and Christianity to the Faith and Doctrine of Christ to the Word Will and Worship of Christ This is that that is fore-promised in the behalf of Kings that they should render unto Christ the subjection of Piety and Devotion i e Reverence to his Name observance to his Worship obedience to his Will submission to his Yoke and Scepter walking in his Truth rejoycing in his Light counting it their highest Honour to do him Service and the best and biggest of their Titles to be his Subjects As it is recorded of the Emperour Theodosius That he profess'd he rejoyced Theodoret. l. 5. c. 25. more in his Christianity than in his Regal Dignity and that upon his Death-bed he thank'd God more that he was Membrum Ecclesiae a Member of the Church than that he was Caput Imperii the Head of the Roman Empire And another Passage I have read of one of the Lewis's King of France who though he had got many Victories and won many Towns from the Saracens yet would he not be stiled from any of them but only from the Place of his Baptism would be called Lewis of Poissy Why Because there said he I first overcame the Devil and was made a Christian Many the like Instances might be given of the signal Piety of Christian Kings and Princes both in Word and Deed But my business is not a History but a Sermon I shall therefore pass by what might be more largely spoken of this second Head and hasten to the third and main Particular designed in

the Text and that is the special and beneficial Influences of Kings upon the Church for its good and flourishing They shall be thy Nursing Fathers and their Queens thy Nursing Mothers In the opening of which I shall consider two Particulars 1st The Thing it self to be done by Kings and Princes and that is the cherishing the spreading and furtherance of the Church and of Religion in the Church 2ly The means and manner of performing They shall do it as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Nursing Fathers For the first of these 'T is very evident God has always made use of Kings and Princes for the furtherance and maintenance of Religion from first to last The first settlement of it among the Israelites was by the Hands of Moses who was King in Jesurun Deut. 33. 5. or as the Targum and Syriack reads it King in Israel The retriving of it when lapsed from Impieties and Idolatries 't was by the means of Judges whom Cunaeus de republ l. 1. c. 12. Bertramus de rep jud c. 9. p. 109. Josephus calls 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 no other than Monarchs Dictators for their time that is in effect Kings In a word the fullest and the utmost growth and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of that Church and the highest and brightest Sun-shine of Religion amongst them was not till it came under the warm Beams and Influence of the Royal Scepter Their Religion was never culminant never rose unto its heighth and splendour till the Kingship was settled amongst them first in the Family of David and then in the Line of Solomon Then was the 1 Chron. 23. 6. 24. 3. Sacred Militia the courses of the Priests and Levites ordered Then was the stately Fabrick of the Temple erected and the Service furnished Then was the God of Israel worshiped in the beauty of Holiness And so downward in the sequel of the Story still ye shall find Kings were the maintainers of Religions as in Abija Asa and Jehosaphat Kings were reformers of Religion as in Hezekia and Josia yea and Kings were the Restorers of Religion together with their Liberties as in the days of Ezra and Nehemia Both which acted in all they did by Commission from the Kings of Persia Ezra 7. 25 26. Neh. 5. 14. This Blessing of Pious and of Gracious Kings so behooful and advantageous to the Church of the Jews God was pleased to afford and make promise of to the Church of the Gentiles Besides the Proofs already named I shall add three more pertinent to the purpose The first is that of the Text where the nursing and nourishing influence of the secular Powers is clearly mentioned as one signal and special means of the furtherance and inlargement of the Gospel-Church as is evident from the whole drift and scope of the context The second is that of Isaiah Ch. 60. where having spoken of the Abundance of the Sea that should be converted Verse the 5th It follows in the tenth Verse The Sons of Strangers shall build up thy Walls and their Kings shall minister unto thee And Verse the 16th Thou shalt also suck the Milk of the Gentiles and the Breast of Kings Before ye had the Nurse and here ye have the Milk and Breast assuring us they should not be meer Dry-nurses but such who as it were from their own Bowels shall minister strength and growth unto the Gospel-Church There is one place more which some not improbably draw to this purpose and that is in the four and twentieth Psal where having spoken of the large and universal Dominion of Christ Verse 1. And of the conditions of Communion with the Church of Christ Ver. 3. to the 6th he then closes with an exhortation as many do interpret it to the secular Powers for their favourable furtherance of the Church and Gospel of Christ Verse the 7th Lift up your Heads O ye Gates and be ye lift ye everlasting doors that the King of Glory may come in The Septuagint with Symmachus and Theodotio expound it as spoken to Principalities and Powers and accordingly render it Lift up your Heads O ye Rulers 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and so the vulgar Latin O Principes a So the Arabick and Aethiopick Versions O ye Princes and be ye lift up ye Fores saeculi as Arias Montanus renders it Ye everlasting Doors And why must they be lift up All to this end says Psalmist That the King of Glory may come in i. e. To make way and room in the World for the Kingdom of God and of Christ The entrance into the City was by the Gates the strength of the City was in the Gates Psal 147. 13. He hath strengthned the Bars of thy Gates And the Place of Magistracy Power and Judicature was in the Gates Ruth 4. 1 2. Deut. 25. 7. And therefore by the lifting up of the Gates may well be understood the concurrence the utmost aid countenance and assistance of the Ruler to the promoting and propagating of Religion as being entrusted with a Power to make way for the King of Glory So much for the Thing it self The spreading and enlarging of the Church by Kings and Princes I come now unto the last Particular and that is The means and manner of effecting it They shall do it as Nursing Fathers that is first as Leaders and then as Governours First by the strong attractive of their Example and then by the use and exercise of their Authority first by the very countenance of their personal Example which always is of great influence and efficacy in the World Haggai 2. 23. says God unto the Prince Zorobabel I will make thee as a Signet Tanquam Annulum Signatorium Good Princes they are Gods Seal Gods Signet that make impression upon the World and help to shape and print and fashion it into Truth and Goodness Ad exemplum Regis componitur Orbis The Religion of the Prince is the Mould into which the People commonly are cast Such as sit in the Gate such as are highest and uppermost in the World are eyed as the Rule and Copy to those that are under The younger naturally follow and tread in steps of the elder Servants imitate their Masters Children their Parents but of all Presidents that of the Prince or Ruler is the most prevailing to engage the practice of the People Et in vulgus manant exempla Regentum The Ways and Deeds of such great ones as they draw the Eyes of all after them so also their Imitation Vertue in a King Religion in a Prince seldom goes alone without a numerous train of Followers and Imitators When the King of Ninive put on Sackcloth Jona 3. 6. how suddenly did it become the wear and fashion as it were of the whole Court and City When Constantine embrac'd the Faith and set up the Cross for his Standard what a shake did the very Pattern of his Example give unto the Kingdom of Darkness through the whole Empire How soon did